Before Beyonce and before Rihanna, there was Aaliyah. She was a self-proclaimed “street but sweet” global icon who had top-selling albums along with a successful movie career and an adoring fan base. Lifetime’s Original Movie Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B premieres next month and explores Aaliyah’s rise to fame along with her tragic death. We have a sneak peek look for fans – along with a special contest for you all at the bottom of the article!

The two-hour Lifetime movie is based on the bestseller Aaliyah: More Than a Woman by former Time Magazine music editor Christopher John Farley and stars Alexandra Shipp as Aaliyah. Shipp will be most recognized by fans for her role as KT Rush in the Nickelodeon series House of Anubis. She’ll also be appearing in the upcoming Drumline 2: A New Beat, and she is currently filming Universal Pictures’ Straight Outta Compton.

For those of you that haven’t seen the trailer, Shipp seems like the perfect fit for the role. Take a look below…

Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B Official Trailer

It was on August 25, 2001, that Aaliyah’s life tragically ended when a plane carrying her and some of her video crew crashed after takeoff from a Bahamian runway. Even though she was only 22-years-old at the time of her death, she continues to lead a legacy as Billboard’s tenth most famous R&B artist of the past 25 years. Aaliyah also remains one of the recording industry’s most successful artists in history.

Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B, which is executively produced by Howard Braunstein, Debra Martin Chase and Wendy Williams, premieres Saturday, November 15, at 8pm ET/PT on Lifetime! Be sure to join the conversation on Twitter with @lifetimetv (Hashtags: #AaliyahMovie #TalentisEternal) and on Facebook as well!

Follow the conversation or join in using the #aaliyahmovie hashtag!

Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B Giveaway:

Want to set yourself up for a premiere party on November 15th? We’ve got a $150 Visa gift card to give away to one lucky winner!

We have a comment contest for you all below. All you need to do to enter to win is leave a comment below answering this question:

As an icon and legendary singer, dancer and actress, what are some of your favorite Aaliyah moments from her career?

Please note: The contest is only open to US residents. We’ll contact the winner on 11/7!

Emma LogginsEmma Loggins is the Editor in Chief of FanBolt. She updates daily on the latest entertainment news, her opinions on current happenings in the media, screening/filming opportunities, inside scoops and more. She’s been writing on the world of geekdom and pop culture since 2002!

Comment(19)

My favorite moment in Aaliyah’s career has to be her ability to stay true to herself and her style throughout her whole career. Staying humble even though she was one of the brightest stars of her time. She was always the same sweet, classy Aaliyah. There will never be another.

My favorite Aaliyah moments from her career was when she performed “Journey from the Past” at the 1998 Oscars & when she performed at Summer Jam in 1997. She was so talented, her voice would just capture me in any moment when ever I heard her music.

I have MANY favorite Aaliyah moments,one being when she won best female artist at the VMA’s in 2000. She was a GENIUNELY gracious & engaging person to her fans in a business that’s filled with self-absorbed celebrities & vultures! Whether she sung Christmas carols before a president(Clinton) on a national- televised special or INTERNATIONALLY singing an Oscar nominated song at the ceremony,she was CLEARLY on a stride that had no bounds… As a die-hard Aaliyah fan since her introduction,her passing was SEVERELY heartbreaking! Like most human-beings,she had growing pains that will be shown in the movie but my views are unchanged! I pray her family’s pain subsides someday& that god’s immeasurable love sustains them/the BEAUTIFUL Aaliyah’s soul always! RIP

My Favorite Aaliyah moment of her career is her transition from the 90s era to the 2000, especially for the 3rd & final self-titled album, “Aaliyah”.
She was ready to show her growth & range as a complete full on artist. Aaliyah wasn’t holding anything back, this time around. She knew what she wanted, she trained & delivered. She was more daring, risky & revealed more of her feminine side. Her womanhood had blossomed flawlessly.
She was poised & ready for her next upcoming films (The Matrix 2 & 3, Sparkle, Some Kind of Blue & Honey). She had fallen in love & was ready to explore that as well.
My admiration for her lives on, because she really chased her dreams into fruition.
She accomplished a great deal at just 22 & we were eager for more.

Can I just say how much of an influence Aaliyah meant to my life. I have plenty of Aaliyah moments as I felt she was playing the soundtrack of my life. I was a very young girl growing up in the 90s but I was a girly Tomboy because of her. I wanted to wear baggy clothes, I kept my bang in a part over one eye and I loved emulating her dance moves.

She was so sultry and classy! I just remember Back & Forth being a very fun song and dance, and I used to outplay my cassette (yes cassette not CD) to her. Then when One in A Million came out…everything magnified for me!

I still love that song until this day, one if my favorite true R&B! The video was very thing and she upgraded her tomboy Baggy attire to a more feminine swag but still a little laid back. That’s what I loved about her she was her own trend she was leading it.

The soundtrack for Dr.DoLittle was a pivatoal time as “Are You Somebody” really elevated her music and dance to the next level. My friends and I would hang sing a longs and dance choreography to this song until we had if down! It was a very fun song and a great decade for movies and soundtracks brought out the anticipation of a film! This song is a classic as well ::that baby cooing in the background of the song made music history::

When Aaliyah started dabbing into acting she became an instant triple threat. No only did she star in Romeo Must Die, but had some great hits from the soundtrack! I knew then at 13 (I’m telling my age) I wanted to be like her so bad. I found my modern day female icon.

I can seriously go on and on…but Rock the Boat is a song and video that still gives me goosebumps. Her last video and farewll to the world. It was a beautiful video, the song was melodic, the dance were exotic and she was perfection. She was evolving gracefully from that tomboy teenage girl, into the grown woman blossoming before our eyes. She had such a huge future for her, projects already lined up (such as the Matrix which Jada had to replace her later).

She is an American Icon. Her life was cut short at a tender age of 22. Very young and I always wondered what the industry would be like today if she was still here? She was already impacting music and her beauty was untouched. I still miss her essence until this day, I never met her personally but I knew her through her spirit!

Aaliyah, Babygirl, was definitely one in a million and her music still lives through us all today. She is very much still loved and important to the industry! I will be an Aaliyah fan forever!

Aaliyah was truely a God sent person. She didnt have to wear alot of makeup or clothes showing everything to have people love her. Her voice was soft yet powerful and made you feel loved. Because of her young girls found their voice. My favorite song is “more than a women”. Id sing that song believing i could conqure anything against me. Rest in peace Aaliyah, you live on forever in our hearts

My favorite moments were watching her evolve from a young lady to a woman . She had a beautiful personality and a wonderful voice. I remember wearing my hair to the side just like her : ) Aaliyah was naturally beautiful unlike the celebrities we see today.

I will always remember the making of Rock Your Boat. I was in college and had just learned about her passing. They were showing the filming of it. It’s a beautiful video and I really did love her as an artist. Another moment that sticks out for me is Back and Forth. That was the first song of hers I ever heard and I was hooked. Thank you for the chance!

Queen of the Damned, such a great movie and I have watched it many times since. The role was perfect for her and she did such a fantastic job! I always love the song “One in a Million” it is a favorite of mine still.

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Our head Geek Girl, Emma Loggins, updates daily on the latest entertainment news, TV news, movie news, inside scoops and more. She’s been writing on the world of geekdom and pop culture since 2002 when she founded FanBolt!